The Dial Direct Pothole Brigade will officially bid Gauteng farewell on Saturday, 30 June 2012 after repairing a total of 64 700 potholes.

Dial Direct announced the disbandment of The Pothole Brigade on 3 May 2012 due to red-tape and bureaucracy within the Johannesburg Roads Agency.

There was speculation that The Dial Direct Pothole Brigade would continue following an announcement on 4 May 2012 by Gabu Tugwana, Director of Communications for the City of Johannesburg who stated that “The Johannesburg Roads Agency is interested in getting Dial Direct back on board to continue with The Pothole Brigade”.

“Sadly, Dial Direct was never approached by City of Joburg nor the Johannesburg Roads Agency,” says Thomas Creamer, Telesure MD.

Creamer says: “It has been a heart-wrenching decision to conclude this campaign as Dial Direct invested heavily, both financially and from a brand perspective, in it. We firmly believe that the disbanding of The Pothole Brigade is premature as there are a huge number of potholes in Gauteng that still need attention.

“We can look back with pride on what The Dial Direct Pothole Brigade has achieved in the past year and a half. We’d like to thank the team for working tirelessly to tend to pothole-repair requests as well as the motorists of Gauteng who enthusiastically supported the initiative.

“We also extend our gratitude to Lead SA, Trafficare, the Ekurhuleni Municipality and the Gauteng Provincial Department of Roads and Transport for their support,” concludes Creamer.